RACE TO 2012

10 years ago

Barbour Benefits From Sanford's Fall

Governor Haley Barbour is taking over for disgraced Mark Sanford as chair of the Republican Governors Association, but he's also inheriting much more from Sanford. Sanford was the 2012 presidential race's real Southerner, an honor he now cedes to Barbour, Marc Ambinder argues. At a New Hampshire Republican gathering Wednesday night, Barbour urged inclusion upon the Party. "You're in the White House for eight or 12 years, you become a top-down party, I don't care if these are Republicans or Democrats," he told reporters. "When you get out, you're liberated to rebuild your party from the bottom up." Barbour is visiting Iowa this week, which feeds speculation that he will be running in 2012. He vehemently denies all presidential ambitions.